Military arrests suspects as probe begins

BARELY 24 hours after the killing of 43 students at the Federal Government College in Yobe State, the military has arrested some suspects, The Nation learnt yesterday.

The suspects are undergoing interrogation in a designated centre, a source said.

Also, President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah to relocate to Borno-Yobe axis to supervise operations against the insurgents.

Gen. Minimah may coordinate “Operation Merciless” against the insurgents.

Besides, security agencies have launched a comprehensive probe into the killings, with their searchlight beamed on alleged collaboration between the Boko Haram sect and some locals in Buni Yadi town where the incident occurred.

The agencies are looking at the likely involvement of some politicians in the dastardly act.

According to the source, the suspects are presently undergoing interrogation at a designated centre. He declined to state the number of suspects.

“Normally in this kind of situation, we will need to isolate the suspects for grilling before we tell the public our findings.

“After the first round of preliminary investigation, the relevant authorities would provide details for the public,” he said, pleading not to be named because of the “sensitivity” of the investigations.

“Besides the ongoing air and land counter-attacks from troops, the mopping up exercise in Buni Yadi was still in progress,” said the source, adding:

“The town has also been cordoned off to fish out some insurgents who might have mingled with the people of the town.”

The source confirmed that President Goodluck Jonathan ordered the Gen. Minimah to move to Borno-Yobe axis to coordinate operations against the insurgents.

The source added: “There is going to be ‘Operation Merciless’ against the insurgents. The battle line is already drawn because the President, who is also the Commander-in-Chief, has ordered the Service Chiefs to rout out the sect.

“The Chief of Army Staff is expected to move to Maiduguri any moment from now to oversee the operation, which may involve a complete change of strategy.”

Meanwhile an inquiry into the massacre of the 43 students by security agencies has begun.

One of the clues being probed is the alleged collaboration between Boko Haram insurgents and some indigenes/residents of Buni Yadi.

“Some locals are suspected to be informants of the insurgents. For instance, the Boko Haram members attacked the Federal Government College a few hours after the patrol team shifted surveillance to the other parts of the town.

“There are suspicions that some local informants might have told them that the patrol team had gone on routine surveillance to other parts of the town,” the source said.

Responding to a question, the source added: “On a remote note, the security agencies are looking into the activities of some politicians because the attack occurred in a period when Governor Ibrahim Geidam flagged off a state tour to commission projects.

“It is being suspected that some politicians would have collaborated with some insurgents to perpetrate these killings to halt the inspection of the projects,” he said.

The security men on patrol should be investigated. Let us know why they relocated and who ordered the relocation. This may not have been another coincidence.

mama

OPERATION MERCILESS! OPERATION MERCILESS !! OPERATION MERCILESS !!!

All forests in the north east must be burnt down by special device using
helicopters and petrol. All forests in the region should be made flat by
burning with fire using helicopters. In the process, we will discover many
caves and hideouts, This is the way out. God bless Nigeria.

INDIGENES AND COLLOBORATORS: There are people among the community supporting and giving information to the insurgents. This is critical if the intelligent by military must have anything to hold. Work on the community and get them as your own informants too. If possible plant your own syndicates who will give you intelligent reports. Pay any amount to get this done. Dont forget – BURN ALL FORESTS IN THE NORTH-EAST, then the battle is half won. God bless Nigeria.

Fula

so the army had no informants of their own to alert them on the arrival of the insurgents in the area. please if true, this kind of news only serve to make the army look stupid. are they saying they had not set up a local counter insurgency ops in the area. every one involved in combat knows very well that your enemy will do anything to gather intelligence on your ops and troop movements. this is too basic for the Nigeria Army to have fallen for it. shame really

Candid View

When this sect Boko Haram began the callous camping of bombing of churches and delibrate killing of christians starting from Borno and other part of Northern Nigeria, the Northern elders/elite were mute and at no time make any serious statement to condemn the dastardly acts. Northern politicians and leaders turned the whole thing to political caricature, trying desperately to outwit each other to win political point for themselves.
At a point some funny figures from the north were winding their mouth that it is christians that are bombing the churches and mosques, gradually, the monster called Boko Haram bagan to hunt it owners. The sect turned its guns on many of the politicians and elites whose jaws were very heavy and too tight to open then, the cock has come to roost ; the monster has become a Frankeinstaine monster hunting it creator. The elites from the north

Dankatsina

well said.

I.A

How can any decent human being uttered such unscrupulous statement, those are mere children it could be any body’s child out there

Samaila

i usually laugh at some explanations made just to cover inefficiencies and professionalism by those we consider to be professionals. If the insurgents have informants among the civilians what stops the the military from having informants among the civilians too? When the military decided to relocate their men to other areas, were there no preliminary security background checks to ensure that area is not left at the mercy of the insurgents? I learned that few days to the attack the communication mask around the area was destroyed by the insurgents, Is that not enough signal that it was preparatory to attack? I still insist that the military leadership and Federal Government provide explanations as to who was behind this to Nigerians especially the parents and relations of the innocent and defenseless children whose lives were brutally terminated in this attack. I so moved!!!!!

isaac

“Some locals are suspected to be informants of the insurgents. For instance, the Boko Haram members attacked the Federal Government College a few hours after the patrol team shifted surveillance to the other parts of the town.

“There are suspicions that some local informants might have told them that the patrol team had gone on routine surveillance to other parts of the town,”

Are we to understand that there is only one Patrol team in town in such an hostile front????

Omosebidele Dele

My concern is that if Jonathan is to be voted for for the second term I wonder how many people will remain in this country before 2019. Dele

hafsat

this is bull shit, the Military is only trying to cover up its ineffectiveness and inefficiencies, by detaining innocent people who had nothing to do with the attack by making them confess to crimes committed by others. please the Nigerian Army needs to offer Nigerians credible explanations to this attack, otherwise we the Northerners would assume this fight against the insurgent were being masterminded by the Federal Government and its Foreign allies to create discomfort in the North

http://www.google.com ismail

yeah., let the north be in discomfort since they dont want a christian president.

Doki Jeff

Two things are clear to everybody with two eyes. The first,and by far the most important, is that the Nigerian Army is incapable of withstanding, subduing, defeating or making peace with the Boko Haram sect. The second is the conspiratorial actions of the Nigerian Army. Why would you chose to leave your duty post shortly before the attack. We call for external intervention by the international community.

kaycee

The media should not report sensitive issues like this so that your don’t alert the perpetrators. Report after the perpetrators have been caught.

Galdima

Don’t pool us with a constructive statements, rather tell us that the security personal are not in position to repel the attack. Boko haram are isolated people in the North-East zone, people are not entertaining them in whatsoever. People a making comments regarding the zone in question without having the knowledge of what is happening in the zone. I am using this medium to call the attention of the media that, whenever there are problems or they need suggestions please they should contact the people that are staying the zone.